CINCINNATI — An 18-year-old student at Moeller High School was arrested Friday for bringing a BB gun that resembled a Glock to school, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies responded to the high school for a report of a student who reportedly showed a handgun to a classmate.
That student, Amaru Harrison, was located by school security in the school's bathroom, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said security performed a pat down of Harrison and found he actually had a BB gun that resembled a Glock semi-automatic pistol in his waistband.
Harrison was taken into custody by deputies and is charged with inducing panic, a first degree misdemeanor, and possession of a deadly weapon or object indistinguishable from a firearm in a school safety zone, a fifth degree felony.
Just one day earlier, a Woodward High School student was taken into custody after officials said they brought a toy gun into the school. Cincinnati police said the student resisted arrest, resulting in an officer calling for backup. Eventually, police were able to get the student into custody.
Larry Boyd with Parker's Elite Airsoft said BB and pellet guns have become incredibly realistic over time.
"They are movie-quality replicas," Boyd said. "They do well there."
Boyd warned that removing bright orange tips off of fake guns can make them nearly indistinguishable from real firearms.
"Big no-no," he said. "Schools, even your neighborhood, running around with these guns they look very real."
Former Police Chief Gene Ferrara warned that young people bringing fake guns to schools is incredibly dangerous as officers often can't tell the difference between real and fake guns.
It is just not worth it because chances are you're going to end up in a gunfight because, that may impress a lot of people, but other people are going to take it as a challenge," Ferrara said.
Harrison is currently being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center, the sheriff's office said.
It is unclear if the high school was put on lockdown at all.
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